Never again as long as I live

Never again, as long as I live, will I ever have to buy diapers again!!  *happy dance* 

Erica is officially wearing big girl panties morning, noon, and overnight with zero accidents for going on a week.  I figured I'd give myself at least that long so I knew it wasn't a fluke before shouting the news from the rooftops. 

We've been working on potty training since about March.  I got super frustrated when a couple of months ago it seemed like she still wasn't getting it and it was costing more to buy pull-ups than diapers.  I went back to diapers for a couple of weeks and tried not to care.  Bought more pull-ups because they are way more convenient and tried not to think of the extra cost when I could pull them down whenever the opportunity for potty training was at hand instead of dealing with the hassle of a diaper.  And then one magical day a couple of weeks ago she said she wanted panties.  We had a frank discussion (well, as frank as it gets when she's still two) about how if mommy puts you in panties and you poop in them mommy throws them in the trash and we don't buy new ones.  She said she understood, and we donned the bribery I had bought months ago and had been languishing in her drawer: monkey panties.  And she proceeded never to pee in them again.  Well, okay, there was one accident.  ONE. 

Once I knew it wasn't a fluke because it had lasted three days, we went to the store and let her pick out two more packages - Minnie and Dora.  We lost two pair of Minnie because she pooped in them.  I spent two days pleading with her to poop in the potty which she responded to by avoiding pooping to the point of impending constipation.  I spent an evening drinking adult beverages sitting in the empty bathtub while she sat on the toilet crying and chanting 'no poop potty'.  And the next day the promise of a $1 balloon got her over the hump and we are pooping in the potty regularly, too.

It's like I just got a $30/month raise now that I don't have to buy diapers of any kind.  My purse has ceased to moonlight as a diaper bag whenever I leave the house with the kids in tow.  And I just have to be more conscious of the "go before you leave" ritual and know where every public restroom is at all times.

NEVER AGAIN feels like heaven!  Of course I'm sure OCD people like me are saying "well, what about when you are a grandma, then you'll probably buy diapers again and that's still in your lifetime".  So I will rephrase for my OCD as well.  I'll never ever ever ever ever have to buy diapers for my own children ever again as long as I live.  Can you tell I'm super excited or what?

A day in the life

Yesterday was crazy.  Unglamorous.  Tiring.  Typical.  It started in the morning with Erica begging me not to leave her before I'd finished getting her dressed.  It was really whining which is in fact worse than begging.  There were tears and "me miss you" cries when I dropped her off at daycare.  I'm pretty sure they have a toddler handbook that explains explicitly how to tug at your mom's heartstrings because she's a pro.  And when Daddy picked her up from daycare later that day, she didn't want to leave because she was having so much fun.  Figures.  When I got home from work, she had fallen asleep.  It was 5:30 - PM!  Did I mention she refuses to nap at daycare?  Such a little stinker.  I couldn't wake her up no matter how I tried and she was still asleep two hours later - even after I loaded her into the car so we could go pick up Erin and the carpool dancers.  She clearly still needs a nap everyday.

I drove Erin and her dance friend halfway across the valley to where her friend lives, chatted in the driveway with her mom, my dance mom friend, while the kids basically screamed at each other through the back window and everyone yelled at their toddler to stay out of the street.  Because we stayed to chat, we got behind.  I had to rush home to get dinner shoved down their gullets before it was bedtime.  It WAS bedtime when Erin realized she had homework that was due the next morning.  Of course it was math homework and they are teaching a new math curriculum so, even if I could remember my own elementary school days and learning math over twenty years ago, I still couldn't help her because it's all different now.  Awesome.  At 9:30 Erin made the decision to get more help the next day and turn her assignment in a day late.  And I emailed her teacher pleading for a math book to be allowed a trip home daily so I have at least a slim chance in hell at helping her figure it out.

I tucked both girls into their beds - a half an hour late - and hoped like hell Erica was tired even though she'd had a two hour nap two hours before.  Erin was asleep quickly, Erica cried for an hour off and on.  All I wanted was to go to bed myself.  Instead, I gave in and rocked my baby to sleep while watching the season finale of Fringe - that's been on my DVR waiting for me to have such a free hour alone to watch it... since May.

The life of a mommy is so glamorous, don't you think?  I sure wouldn't trade it even when I have days like this one where everything I had planned to accomplish is still waiting to be done when I fall into bed after midnight. 

Fundamentally different

It struck me tonight at bath time just how different my two children are.  Erin, at two and a half and still to this day, marvels at the perfect whirlpools created by the tub drain.  She would sit in silence and wonder watching the spirals and reverently bidding the water goodbye.  Erica who is currently two and a half takes great pleasure destroying the same perfect whirlpool.  And not just once, but over and over again each time it struggles into existence.  Her current nickname is Devil Child... 

Sad Day - Goodbye Nanny Kay

Two years ago (almost to the day) the angel known as Kayla Jo Christensen came into our lives and soon came to be known as Nanny Kay.  She's become one of the family, the girl's second mom, my right hand (and even on occasion when Clint is feeling rather witty he refers to her as the second wife).  It was truly fate who brought her to us after an effortless search.  Almost immediately I knew I'd dread the day we would lose her.

I thought the dreaded departure would happen a year ago when she became Mrs. Kayla Jo Frishknecht (it took me six months to be able to spell her new last name correctly).  But it didn't and every day since has been a cherished gift.  A bonus.  And every day that we shared everyday life and the issue of raising my baby as a tandem team, this day became harder.

It's been two months since she told us she and her husband were moving back east to begin their next great adventure this summer.   But even while I scrambled to line up new childcare options - knowing I could never really replace her - neither of us talked about it.  As if not talking about it would make today somehow less difficult. 

I successfully avoided really thinking about it until a week ago and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  One more week.  That's not enough time for anything!  Every time I thought about it I had to blink tears away.  When Clint and I would talk about it the tears flowed freely.  And then last night we were in the greeting card aisle at the grocery store and the girls were wondering what was wrong with Mommy because she was crying.  It only got worse when we got home and I sobbed while I wrote my thoughts in the card I'd picked out and we recorded a "we love you Nanny Kay" message on a nifty new photo frame.  Even Erica - after only a few tries - got her line down where you could understand her. 

This morning was worse than I had even imagined.  Kayla arrived and I tried like hell to keep it together.  Then I gave her the gift bag and she handed me a tissue-wrapped CD with the pictures and videos of two years worth of her life with my girls while I was working.  I basically ran from the room muttering something about going to wake up Erica.  I thought I had it together pretty well when I returned with a sleepy Erica.  Call me a tad narcissistic but I like to see the reactions people have when they receive a gift I've picked out so I asked her if she'd opened hers.  She said yes, that she'd seen the frame.  "But you didn't push the button."  And then she pushed it and heard us all tell her in our own voices how much we love her.  And then we were both boobing like babies.

There were hugs and more tears and finally I tore myself away to head to work saying "see you later" and "have a good day" one last time.  I cried the entire way to work and barely composed myself to walk into the building.  After Kayla got Erica dressed and did her hair - for the last time - she snapped a photo and text it to me.  And then I was crying again.  And posting it to Facebook where I found Kayla had posted about how she thought she had cried all her tears last night until she had to say goodbye to me and hadn't stopped crying since I left. 

Definitely harder than either of us imagined.

At the end of the day, I know she isn't gone from our lives.  That this isn't really goodbye but see you later.  But damn I'll miss seeing her every morning and getting texts from her every day and spending the day chatting while I work from home once a week.  I hope the summer flies quickly and that they really do come back in the fall as planned because I already miss her like mad.

Nanny Kay, always remember we love you!

Time flies, kids grow up, babies aren't babies anymore

Newsflash - I'm a blogger slacker!  But, I just downloaded all the photos from my phone so here's some recent pics to show how big the girls are getting.  Erin is 10, Erica is 2.  How the hell did that happen?

 Erin playing in the spring snow

Erica is the newest Ragnarian... or maybe she should wait a few years.  She still loves Daddy's hat

 Erica and her BFF Chayse sporting their hats after an evening of playing

Erin and her BFF Brooklyn sporting their bump-its

Erica has decided she's a big girl who can climb up on the chairs and get her own crackers.

Mommy turned 40 - here are the balloons to prove it.  Erica thought they were her balloons and I didn't have the heart to tell her no.

Sisters - and mom's new cool camera app!

Erica and cousin Zoey in the toy cupboard instead of the toys

Erica got her ears pierced for her second birthday.  She cried until she got a sucker and then she was fine.

Sisters snuggling in their jammies before bed.  So sweet!

Erica and BFF Chayse eating dinner at the little girl table together.

Erica is potty training - and pretending to pass the info along to her toys.  The bear is on the little potty and Mickey is destined for the big potty.

We just finished our nightly kitchen dancing with Mommy - everyone loves Katy Perry music!

Mom's work from home day - Erica sets up her own laptop and pretends to drink coffee just like Mommy.  It cracks me up every time!

Neighbors in the driveway - summer is on it's way!

Pictures from our trip to SoCal - lots of beach and Disney fun!

 Watching the boats in the harbor

 Beach day with nanny Kayla

 Disneyland!!!

 Erin rode the roller coasters with mom - I think I was happier than Erin but she was a trooper!

My favorite picture of the girls together at Disneyland outside Minnie's house

This is what Erica looked like when she saw Micky Mouse in the parade.  Made the crazy long hours at Disney totally worth it.

Erica and her nanny who makes life easier on all of us

 Clint was the big winner at the annual St. Patrick's Day Poker Tourney.

Erin is still my favorite little dancer at Synergy and is starting her second competition season there.

First backyard fire with the neighbors already under our belts - even though it's snowed twice since then.  Only in a Utah spring!

 Erica loves dress-up AND mommy's sunglasses

 She can sign "I Love You" all by herself now, and loves her hair done pretty

Erin at her first competition of the season - two first place wins when it was all said and done!

Erica and Zoey just chillin' out on the couch.  This is the life...

Now you know what goes on when I'm not blogging - lots of living and loving and having fun!

Update through photos

I've been a total slacker here on the family blog so I thought I'd post some of my favorite photos from my iPhone by way of update on what's been happening at House of Luft.

The girls in the summer

My and my sis at Cherry Hill - round 2 with the parents

Our water babies at Cherry Hill

Erin miniature golfing on the same course I learned on as a kid

Guess who loves corn on the cob!

Erin at her very first concert - Selena Gomez

Erica loves her blankies... must have learned this from her big sister!

Hanging with the neighbors watching Utah Football - go UTES!

Neighbors who run together, stay together!  Ragnar training Sunday runs...

Erica loves her Daddy!

Erica's first time with the dress-up shoes

Poker tourney at Rayster's

Look, cool hair that I took the time to straighten - better get a pic!

Erica lounging in the Ariel chair - probably watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Styx and REO Speedwagon concert at USANA

I'll post more later... but right now I have to go change out the laundry, clean a couple of toilets and get the dog to quit barking.